Weather-guard for doors.



0. n. TABOR. V WEATHER GUARD FOR DOORS.

APPLICATION FILED DEO..26, 1911.

1 1 1 0,242, Patented Sept. 8, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

THE NORRIS PETERS (20 FHOTO-LITHOU WASHINGTON, u. c.

C. .Dm TABOR.

WEATHER GUARD FOB. DOORS.

APBLIGATION. FILED DBO. 2a, 1911.

1,1 10,242. Patented Sept. 8, 1914,

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

w 1' IP IH THE NORRIS PETERS 60.. PHOTO-LITHQ. WASHINGTON, D. C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CLINTON D. TABOR, OF NEW DORP, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF T0 ALBERT SCI-IRAFFT, 0F NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

WEATHER-GUARD FOR DOORS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 8, 1914.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CLINTON D. TABOR,

a citizen of the United States, residing at New Dorp, in the county. of Richmond, Staten Island, New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Weather- Guards for Doors, &c., of which the following is a specification.

lhis invention relates to a weather guard which is more particularly designed for closing the space between the lower edge of a door and the threshold of a doorway for the purpose of preventing the passage of rain, snow, dust and wind through the same, but this guard may also be used on other similar structures where the same conditions exist.

ltis the object of this invention to provide a weather guard for this purpose which can be readily applied not only to new doors but also doors which are already in use without mutilating or impairing the sightliness of the door; which is reliable and efficient in operation; which can be readily adjusted to suit varying heights of spaces between the lower edges of the doors and the thresholds of the doorways; which is equally applicable to doors swinging either toward the right or toward the left, and which will automatically adapt itself to any unevenness of the threshold relatively to the lower edge of the door.

In the accompanying drawings consisting of 2 sheets: Figure 1 is a fragmentary vertical section of the lower part of a door and the threshold taken in line 1-1, Fig. 8, and

equipped with my improved weather guard, the latter being shown in its operative position. Fig. 2 is a similar view taken in line 22, Fig. 1, and showing the weather guard in its inoperative position. Fig. 3 is a fragmentary vertical longitudinal section taken in line 3--3, Fig. 1, looking outwardly. Fig. 4 is a fragmentary vertical longitudinal section taken in line 1- 1, Fig. 2 and looking inwardly. Fig. 5 is a bottom plan view of the lower edge of the door equipped with my improved weather guard. Fig. 6 is a horizontal section in line 6 6, Fig. 3. Fig. 7 is a fragmentary perspective view of a door and door frame equipped with my improved weather guard, the door being shown in its open position. Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the supporting bracket forming part of the weather guard. Fig. 9 is a similar view of the rock lever forming part of the weather guard.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

The parts which are shown in the drawlngs for illustrating my improved weather guard comprise an upright jamb 1 arranged at one side of the doorway and forming part of the door frame, a horizontal threshold or $111 2 connecting with the lower end of the door jamb and provided on the outer part of its upper surface with a horizontal rabbet forming a corner 3 between the inner elevated and the outer depressed part of the threshold, and a horizontally swinging door 4 which is'connected at one of its vertical edges by a hinge 5 or otherwise with the door jamb and adapted to be moved outwardly into a closed position over the threshold or inwardly from over the threshold so as to clear the doorway, as shown in Fig. 7

My improved weather guard which is associated with these parts of the door and door frame may be varied in itsdetail construction but the preferred embodiment of the same which is shown in the drawings is constructed as follows:

6 represents the casing or stationary housing of the weather guard which is preferably constructed in the form of a molding secured horizontally to the outer side of the door adjacent to. the lower edge thereofand provided on its inner or rear side with an upper horizontal longitudinal groove 7 and a lower horizontal longitudinal rabbet 8, the rabbet and groove being separated by an intervening horizontal longitudinal rib 9. Upon securing this casing to the outer side of the door by means of screws 10 or otherwise the rear or inner side of the groove and rabbet are closed by the front side of the door so that these two parts together form an upper horizontal guideway which is open onlyat opposite vertical edges of the door and a lower horizontal longitudinal guideway which opens cal edges of the door but also downwardly toward the threshold. 7

The position of the lower guideway is so determined that when a door is in its closed position the corner 3 of the threshold willbe not only at opposite vertiv arranged below the lone guideway and between the front and rear walls thereof, as shown in Fig. 1.

11 represents a weather strip which is preferably constructed of sheetspring brass or other suitable resilient material and arranged horizontally and lengthwise along the lower edge of the door and the lower guideway. At its inner or rear edge this weather strip is secured to the underside of the door y means of nails or tacks 12, as shown in Fig. 1 or by any other suitable means.

' 13 represents a vertically movable pressure bar arranged horizontally and lengthwise in thelowerguideway. The front part of the weather strip is secured to the lower edge of this presser bar by any suitable means, for instance, by means of tacks 14,

as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 5, so that this part of the weather strip and the presser bar are compelled to rise and fall together.

Atits front edge the weather strip is preferably provided with an upturned longitudinal flange 15 which bears against the outer side of the presser bar and operates to hold these parts more'reliably in place relatively to each other. The lower inner or rear corner of the presser bar is beveled so that upon depressing this bar when the door is shutthe outer part of the spring strip or plate will not only be engaged with the cornor 3 of the threshold but will also be able to yield and thus firmly engage the threshold and compensate for any slight inaccuracies in the workmanship or in adjustment of the parts.-

The natural resilience of the spring weather strip operates normally to raise the front part of this strip clear of the threshold and also lift the presser bar into its eley 'tedposition, thereby avoiding the necess ty of providing any special means for this purpose.

Various means may be provided for depressing the presser bar and weather strip and engaging the front part of the latter with the threshold. The means which are shown in the drawings are suitable for this piirpbse andare so designed that upon cl0sing the door the presser bar and strip will automatically be pushed downwardly into their operative position and these means are also so constructed as to permitof the attachment of this weather guard to a door which swings either toward the left or toward the right. This operating mechanism is best shown in Figs. 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8 and 9 and is constructed as follows:

16 represents a supporting bracket which is arranged in a recess 17 formed on the central partof the casing by cutting away the central part of the rib 9, this bar being arr-nged flush with the rear side of this rib and separated from the bottom of the recess 17 by an intervening space 18. The bracket is held in this position by means of two transverse posts 19 arranged at opposite ends of the bracket and secured-to the casing by means of screws 20, as shown in Figs. 3 and The central part of the bracket is constructed to form a depending guide lug 21 which is arranged in a notch or recess 22 formed on the inner or rear sideof the presser bar. The presser bar is connected with this guide lug in such manner that it is free to rise and fall and also to swing yertically relatively thereto, this connection be ing preferably effected by means of a horizontal screw secured to the presser bar within its notch or recess 22 and engaging with a vertical slot 2t formed in the guide lug, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

In the space between the upper part of the bracket and the casing is arranged a horizontally swinging rock lever 25 which is pivoted on the bracket, this pivotal connection being preferably effected by means of a pivot pin or stud 26 formed integrally on the front side of the bracket and entering a pivot opening 27 inthe central part of the rock lever. This rock lever is provided with two lower horizontal presser feet 253 which project in opposite directions from the pivot of this lever and are adapted to bear against the upper part of the presser bar and an upper vertical shifting arm 29 provided with a forwardly projecting tappet or nose 30.

31 represents a horizontally slidable plunger arranged in the upper guideway of the casing and adapted to bear at its inner end against one side of the tappet S0 of the rock lever while its outer end is adapted to bear against an abutment arranged on the adjacent side of the door jamb. This abutment preferably consists of a screw which can be turned forward or backward in the door jamb and thereby adjust the position of the same for obtaining the proper throw of the plunger and causing the weather strip to bear properly against the threshold.

In the open position of the door in which the presser bar is raised by the resilience of the weather strip this bar by engaging with the feet of the rock lever causes the same to be turned into its central position in which its feet are horizontally in line and its shifting arm in a vertical position, as shown in Fig. 4, and the plunger is pushed outwardly by the tappet of the rock lever so that its outer end projects beyond the adjaccnt hinge edge of the door, as shown in Figs. 1 5 and 7. The parts of the weather guard remain in this position so long as the door isswung open more or less beyond the initial partof its open position, thereby permitting the door to swing freely o erany rugs or carpets-which may be lying on the floor without liability of interfering with the same. Upon swinging the door shut or into its fully closed position the outer end of the plunger during the last part of the closing movement of the door, engages with the abutment screw and causes the plunger to be pushed inwardly in the casing, as shown in Figs. 3 and 6. During such in ward movement of the plunger its inner end by engagement with the tappet of the rock lever causes that foot of this lever opposite to the plunger to swing downwardly from its normal position and push the presser bar downwardly, as shown in Fig. 3, there by causing the weather strip to be engaged with the corner 3 of the threshold, as shown in Fig. 1.

If the threshold should not be perfectly level or parallel with the lower edge of the door, a uniform bearing of the weather strip with the threshold will still be efiected, inasmuch as the presser bar when depressed at the center thereof will rock on the supporting bracket so that one end is free to adapt itself to the threshold independently of the other end, thereby always insuring a tight closure between the door and the threshold regardless of any unevenness which may exist on the surface of the threshold.

Upon opening the door the presser bar will be projected into its outer position during the first part of the opening movement of the door by reason of the resilience of the weather strip which lifts the outer part thereof from the threshold together with the presser bar secured thereto which movement is transmitted to the plunger through the medium of the rock lever.

WVhile the door is swinging in one direction that presser foot of the rock lever which is arranged on the same side as the plunger forms no function but by providing the rock lever with two such presser feet on opposite sides of its center it permits of also hinging the door on its other edge and arranging the plunger in the other end of the upper guideway so that its inner end engages with the opposite sides of the tap pet, thereby bringing'the presser foot which before was idle into use and rendering the previously operative presser foot inactive. It is therefore possible to use the same supporting bracket and rock lever for operating the presser bar and weather strip on doors swinging either toward the right or toward the left, thereby avoiding the expense of manufacturing and also keeping in stock two kinds of such parts.

The main part of the plunger is preferably nearly as wide as the upper guideway but the inner end of the same is rabbeted', as shown at 33 in Figs. 3 and 5, so as to permit this end of the plunger to engage the tappet and still clear the shifting arm of the rock lever.

I claim as my invention:

1. A weather guard for doors comprising a flexible strip adapted to be secured at one of its longitudinal edges to the lower edge of a door, and means for pressing the opposite free edge of said strip against a corner on the threshold of the door upon closing the latter comprising a vertically movable bar mounted on the door and secured at its lower edge to said strip and provided with a beveled face in line with said corner.

2. The combination of a door frame having an upright jamb and a threshold, a door hinged on said jamb to swing vertically, a casing secured to said door and forming therewith an upper horizontal guideway and a lower horizontal guideway, a presser bar movable vertically in said lower guideway,

a flexible metal weather strip secured to the presser bar, a bracket arranged centrally on the'casing and provided with a part ex tending across the lower guideway and having a vertical slot and a pivot pin, a projection on said presser bar engaging with said slot, a rock lever having a pivot opening which receives said pin, two horizontal feet on opposite sides of its pivot bearing against said presser bar, a vertical shifting arm. projecting across the upper guideway provided with a tappet, and a plunger sliding in said upper guideway and engaging at one end with said tappet and at its opposite end with an abutment on the frame.

jamb.

Witness my hand this 21st day of December, 1911. I CLINTON D. TABOR.

Witnesses:

Tr-rno. L. Porr, ANNA HIRGIS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

